Sheila Schuller Coleman off Crystal Cathedral board

Senior pastor Sheila Schuller, daughter of church founder Robert H. Schuller, temporarily has left her role on the board of directors of the Crystal Cathedral Ministries to &#8220;concentrate on her duties as pastor and on casting the vision for the future of the ministry,&#8221; according to a church statement. JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Sheila Schuller Coleman, daughter of church founder Robert H. Schuller, temporarily has left her role on the board of directors of the Crystal Cathedral Ministries to "concentrate on her duties as pastor and on casting the vision for the future of the ministry," according to a church statement.

Schuller Coleman remains as a senior pastor but for now is no longer the chief executive officer and president of the Crystal Cathedral Ministries.

John Charles, a former church spokesman, was named interim CEO and president during a board meeting Tuesday.

"We're going to stand together," Charles said Wednesday. "We're all excited about the positive changes."

Another change that surfaced at the board meeting this week: Jim Penner, executive producer of the church's nationally televised "Hour of Power," is no longer on the Ministries' board of directors but continues in his role overseeing the television program, Charles said.

Both Schuller Coleman and Penner were board members in the Crystal Cathedral's two governing organizations. The Crystal Cathedral Ministries, which includes the Hour of Power, is in bankruptcy proceedings. The Crystal Cathedral Consistory, the ruling body of the congregation, is not in bankruptcy. Penner and Schuller Coleman retained their posts on the Crystal Cathedral Consistory.

"The directors decided they didn't want any overlap in directors from the two boards that could lead to a potential conflict of interest," according to an e-mail from the church's public relations firm.

"I am very pleased to be released from the Crystal Cathedral Ministries board so that I can focus on the active, hands-on ministry that God has called me to do here at the Crystal Cathedral, and having more time to focus on my role as executive producer of the Hour of Power and teaching pastor to the Crystal Cathedral congregation as commissioned by the Reformed Church in America." Penner said in the same e-mail.

Schuller Coleman said the leadership changes are temporary.

"And we believe that they will be good for the Crystal Cathedral during this time of transition," she said in an earlier e-mail also released through the public relations firm.

Schuller Coleman said church leaders are considering "many options regarding the new location for the church and the ministry."

"We're confident we will end up where God needs us most," she wrote.

Meanwhile the Catholic Diocese of Orange is seeking suggestions to rename the cathedral. The deadline is Monday, and so far, some 3,500 suggestions have poured in, spokesman Stephen Bohannon said Wednesday.

The Crystal Cathedral has been embroiled in financial and leadership troubles that include the church's bankruptcy and sale of its campus, the departure of Robert A. Schuller as senior pastor in 2008, and the temporary ouster of its founder, Robert H. Schuller, from the board last year.

On the Crystal Cathedral's website, the home page features a "Church Chat" video with Schuller Coleman telling her congregants they have not lost their true house.

"God's house that he wants all of us to remain focused on is eternal. It is permanent and neither rust nor mock can destroy it. It is our home in heaven with Jesus," Schuller Coleman says. "Nothing can take that away from us. Nothing can take that away from us. And that is never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever for sale."

Senior pastor Sheila Schuller, daughter of church founder Robert H. Schuller, temporarily has left her role on the board of directors of the Crystal Cathedral Ministries to “concentrate on her duties as pastor and on casting the vision for the future of the ministry,” according to a church statement. JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sheila Schuller Coleman, right, with her father Robert H. Schuller as she delivers her sermon on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010. "Do any of you feel that you're indebted to this man?" Schuller asked during her sermon. She spoke about how all children are indebted to their parents and the financial crisis the church now faces. Coleman heads the Crystal Cathedral ministry that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier that week. FILE: ANA VENEGAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sheila Schuller Coleman, daughter of Robert H. Schuler and the Crystal Cathedral's new senior pastor, left, sings the Hym of Praise along side Jim Penner during Sunday services. JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman and Jim Penner, executive producer of the "Hour of Power," said during a press conference in October 2010 that they pay cash for things now and "we don't incur additional debt." The mega church filed for bankruptcy after struggling with a $50 million debt. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Crystal Cathedral, now owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. LEONARD ORTIZ, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Senior Pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman, left, and Jim Penner, executive producer of the "Hour of Power" said during an October 2010 press conference that they pay cash for things and "we don't incur additional debt." The megachurch filed for bankruptcy Monday after struggling to emerge from $50 million in debt. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. MARK RIGHTMIRE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sheila Schuller Coleman poses for a picture at the Crystal Cathedral church in 2009. CHRIS CARLSON, AP

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